Infantry officers, had failed to
realize the value of the new weapon, and it required the teaching of
a man who himself thoroughly believed in and understood the
breech-loading gun to arouse Artillerymen to a sense of the tremendous
power placed in their hands, and to the importance of devoting much
more care and attention to practice than had hitherto been thought
necessary. Such a man was Major-General Nairne, and I was happily
able to induce the Government to revive in him the appointment of
Inspector-General of Artillery.

Under the unwearying supervision of this officer, there was quite as
remarkable an improvement in Artillery shooting as Colonel Hamilton
had effected in musketry. Practice camps were annually formed at
convenient localities, and all ranks began to take as much pride in
belonging to the 'best shooting battery' as they had hitherto taken
in belonging to the 'smartest,' the 'best-horsed,' or the
'best-turned-out' battery. I impressed upon officers and men that the
two things were quite compatible; that, according to my experience,
the smartest and best turned-out men made the best soldiers; and while
I urged every detail being most carefully attended to which could
enable them to become proficient gunners and take their proper place
on a field of battle, I expressed my earnest hope that the Royal
Artillery would always maintain its hitherto high reputation for
turn-out and smartness. The improvement in the Cavalry was equally
apparent. For this arm of the service also the Government consented to
an Inspector-General being appointed, and I was fortunate enough to
be able to secure for the post the services of Major-General Luck, an
officer as eminently fitted for this position as was General Nairne
for his.

Just at first the British officers belonging to Native Cavalry were
apprehensive that their sowars would be turned into dragoons, but
they soon found that there was no intention of changing any of their
traditional characteristics, and that the only object of giving them
an Inspector-General was to make them even better in their own way
than they had been before, the finest Irregular Cavalry in the world,
as I have not the slightest doubt they will always prove themselves to
be. Towards the end of the Simla season of 1889, Lord Lansdowne, to my
great satisfaction, announced his intention of visiting the frontier,
and asked me to accompany him.

We rode through the Khyber and Gomal Passes, vis